Juergen Freund / Timelapse of a Cairns birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion) butterfly caterpillar metamorphosing into a chrysalis, Queensland, Australia, April.

Juergen Freund / Timelapse of a Cairns birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion) butterfly caterpillar emerging from egg on an Dutchman's pipe (Aristolochia) leaf and feeding, Queensland, Australia, April.

Konrad Wothe / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) male on fern leaf and Blue Mountain Swallowtail butterfly in flight, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia, October

Steven David Miller / Australian birdwing butterfly {Ornithoptera priamus} male on flower. Captive. Australia.

Bristol City Museum / Queen Alexandra's birdwing butterfly {Ornithoptera alexandrae} museum specimens, male top, female below. World's largest butterfly, wing span 1 foot / 30 cms. Endangered species occurs in Papua New Gu...

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Common Green Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) butterfly in the rainforest, Kuranda State Forest, Queensland, Australia

Mark Moffett / Poseidon Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus poseidon) butterfly, male, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia

Steven David Miller / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) male resting on leaf. Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary, Queensland, Australia. Captive.

Steven David Miller / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) male resting on leaf. Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary, Queensland, Australia. Captive.

Steven David Miller / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) male resting on leaf. Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary, Queensland, Australia. Captive.

Steven David Miller / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) male nectaring on flower. Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary, North Queensland, Australia. Captive.

Steven David Miller / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion), male wing, close up. Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary, North Queensland, Australia. Captive

Steven David Miller / A female Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion), Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary, Queensland, Australia. Captive.

Paul Williams / Raja Brookes Birdwing Butterflies (Trogonoptera brookiana) puddling, Borneo.

Paul Williams / Raja Brookes Birdwing Butterflies (Trogonoptera brookiana) puddling, Borneo

Paul Williams / Raja Brookes Birdwing butterfly (Trogonoptera brookiana), Borneo. Small repro only

Paul Williams / Filming a Raja Brookes Birdwing butterfly (Trogonoptera brookiana), Borneo

Paul Williams / Raja Brookes Birdwing Butterfly (Trogonoptera brookiana), Borneo

Ingo Arndt / Helena Birdwing Butterfly (Troides helena) Malaysia.

Juergen Freund / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) female on tropical flowers, Queensland, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) on red tropical flowers, Queensland, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) chrysalis, Queensland, Australia.

Lynn M Stone / Cairn's birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) male, captive, endemic to northern Australia.

Ingo Arndt / Helena Birdwing (Troides helena) butterfly, Malaysia

Ingo Arndt / Helena Birdwing (Troides helena) butterfly, Malaysia

Hiroya Minakuchi / Golden Birdwing Butterfly (Troides amphrysus) emerging from chrysalis, Malaysia

Hiroya Minakuchi / Golden Birdwing Butterfly (Troides amphrysus) emerging from chrysalis, Malaysia

Dave Watts / Female Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) on leaf, Wet Tropics World Heritage Rainforest, North Queensland, Australia, November

Chien Lee / Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana) pupa, Kipandi Butterfly Park, Crocker Range, Malaysia

Chien Lee / Golden Birdwing Butterfly (Troides amphrysus) caterpillar defends itself by means of foul-smelling tentacles hidden behind its head, Kipandi Butterfly Park, Crocker Range, Malaysia

Chien Lee / Birdwing Butterfly (Troides andromache) caterpillar prepares for its moult into the pupal stage, Kipandi Butterfly Park, Crocker Range, Malaysia

Chien Lee / Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana) caterpillar entering pupal stage, Kipandi Butterfly Park, Crocker Range, Malaysia

Thomas Marent / Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana) butterfly male in rainforest, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Thomas Marent / Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana) butterfly male, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Thomas Marent / Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana) butterfly males, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Thomas Marent / Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana) butterfly male and female, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Konrad Wothe / Common Green Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) male feeding on flower nectar, Atherton Tableland, Queensland, Australia

Konrad Wothe / Common Green Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) butterfly male, Atherton Tableland, Queensland, Australia

Chien Lee / Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana) males at a seep where they feed on salts, Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Helena Birdwing (Troides helena) butterfly, Tangkoko Batuangus Reserve, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Thomas Marent / Common Green Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) butterfly, Papua New Guinea

Steven David Miller / Australian birdwing butterfly {Ornithoptera priamus} male, captive, Australia

Steven David Miller / A female Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) warms herself in the early morning sun in a walk-through aviary/habitat at the Kuranda Butterfly Farm in North Queensland. Captive.

Nick Garbutt / Adult male Rajah Brooke's birdwing butterfly{Trogonoptera / Troides brookiana} drinking from edge of rainforest puddle, Dipterocarp rainforest, Danum Valley, Sabah, Borneo.

Steven David Miller / Male Australian birdwing butterfly {Ornithoptera priamus} Western Australia

Steven David Miller / Australian birdwing butterfly {Ornithoptera priamus} resting. Australia. Captive Melbourne Zoo

Steven David Miller / Australian birdwing butterfly {Ornithoptera priamus} male on flower. Captive. Australia.

Jane Burton / Rajah Brooke's Birdwing Butterfly (Trogonoptera brookiana) Digital composite.

Steven David Miller / Australian birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) Australia

Steven David Miller / Australian birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) Australia

Konrad Wothe / Goliath Birdwing (Ornithoptera goliath samson) butterfly male on leaves, rare species, Irian Jaya, Indonesia

Konrad Wothe / Goliath Birdwing (Ornithoptera goliath samson) butterfly male, rare species, Irian Jaya, Indonesia

Konrad Wothe / Goliath Birdwing (Ornithoptera goliath samson) butterfly male, wing detail, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia

Gerry Ellis / Birdwing (Ornithoptera croesus) butterfly wing, female, Papua New Guinea

Norbert Wu / Common Green Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) butterfly male on leaf in rainforest, Queensland, Australia

Tim Fitzharris / Birdwing Butterfly (Troides sp) showing aposematic coloration, Philippines

Tim Fitzharris / Birdwing Butterfly (Troides sp) showing aposematic coloration, Philippines

Tim Fitzharris / Birdwing Butterfly (Troides sp), Philippines

Tim Fitzharris / Birdwing Butterfly (Troides sp) showing aposematic coloration, Philippines

Tim Fitzharris / Birdwing Butterfly (Troides sp) showing aposematic coloration, Philippines

Paul D Stewart / Rajah Brooke's Birdwing male (Trogonoptera brookiana) shown with a steel engraving of Sir James Brooke, the famous 'White Rajah' of Sarawak who Wallace named the butterfly for. Wallace had been the gu...

Paul D Stewart / Rajah Brooke's Birdwing male (Trogonoptera brookiana) shown with a specimen signature of Alfred Russel Wallace who named it for his friend Sir James Brooke. Wallace is remembered as the co-discoverer...

Tom Vezo / Male Cairns Birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion) butterfly, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tucson, Arizona

Tom Vezo / Common Green Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) butterfly, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tucson, Arizona

Chris Shields / Illustration of a male Queen Alexandra's birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera alexandrae). Endangered.

Chris Shields / Illustration of a female Queen Alexandra's birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera alexandrae). Endangered.

Chris Shields / Illustration of a male Queen Alexandra's birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera alexandrae). Endangered.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) female, portrait, Melbourne Zoo. Captive, occurs in Queensland, Australia.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Cairns birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion) caterpillar, portrait, Melbourne Zoo. Captive, occurs in Queensland, Australia.

Neil Challis / Golden birdwing butterfly (Troides aeacus) feeding on a bush, Western Thailand.

Juergen Freund / Slow motion clip of Birdwing butterflies (Ornithoptera priamus) flying behind a tree, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Slow motion clip of male Birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) nectaring on flowers before flying away, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Slow motion clip of male Birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) chasing a female that was nectaring before flying away, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Slow motion clip of female Birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) nectaring flowers before flying away, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Slow motion clip of male Birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) nectaringon flowers before flying away, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Slow motion clip of male Birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) resting on a leaf before it is disturbed by another butterfly so flies away, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Slow motion clip of male Birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) hovering over leaves, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Slow motion clip of male Birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) resting on a leaf before a bee interupts it, and they both fly away, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Female Birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) resting after emerging from chrysalis, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Slow motion clip of female Birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus) nectaring on flowers before flying away, Australia.

Bruce Thomson / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) male resting on fern, large butterfly endemic to wet tropics in far north Queensland, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

Bruce Thomson / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) male resting on leaf, large butterfly endemic to wet tropics in far north Queensland, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of China / Golden Birdwing butterfly (Troides aeacus) Sheding Forest park, Kenting National Park, Taiwan

Juergen Freund / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) female on flower. Queensland, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) female, close-up with proboscis rolled up. Queensland, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) chrysalis on leaf. Queensland, Australia.

Juergen Freund / Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion) caterpillar on leaf. Queensland, Australia.